Saturday, December 8, 2012

8th Day of Christmas: Alexa Bourne

Cate: Alexa is here to spread some holiday cheer! Alexa, please tell us
a little bit about yourself.

Alexa: I’m a teacher by day and a romance writer by nights, weekends
and all school holidays. I love to read, travel, eat chocolate and watch
sports. I’m a little crazy, but people seem to love me anyway!

Cate: lol What do you love most about Christmas?

Alexa: I love everything about it! I love the music, the gift-giving,
the decorations, and spending time with family and friends. I also love to see
people being kinder to each other.

Cate: Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?

Alexa: When I was young, my parents got divorced. After that, my aunt
and uncle made it a tradition to take me to their house for an overnight to
help them decorate for Christmas. We would pick out the tree, decorate it,
sometimes we made ornaments, and watched Christmas shows. This meant so much to
me that when I bought my home, I began inviting my youngest nephew and niece to
come over to help me decorate.

Cate: So sweet. :) If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?

Alexa: A chance to visit with my father and my grandparents. They all
passed away before I received a book contract and they were so supportive of my
dream to be an author.

Cate: Ha! It always tastes better that way. :) So tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it
online.

Alexa: Simple Treasures was a
difficult story to write. I actually wrote it twice because it wasn’t working
as I was writing it. I took a day off, studied why it wasn’t working and
plotted a different book with the same heroine but a different hero. THAT
worked and I couldn’t be more proud of the story as it is now. As for where it
is, I’m still waiting for an official release date from Decadent Publishing.

Cate: Stunning cover! Care to share a blurb or excerpt?

Alexa: Sure! Here’s the blurb:

Take-charge bodyguard Colin Munro believes working for the
International Protective Network will be the perfect occupation for him.
Unfortunately, his trial assignment is protecting a woman who has no intention
of blindly following orders. Aye, he’ll bring the bonnie lass in line because
there’s no way he’ll allow her to ruin his chance of securing his dream job.

Physically and emotionally scarred during her stint as a U.S. soldier,
Joanna Grainger wants nothing more than to enjoy life. New Year's Eve in
Edinburgh marks the beginning of her transformation. But when she witnesses a
crime no one believes occurred, her plans come to a screeching halt. To make
matters worse, her sexy but headstrong bodyguard has no compassion for her or
the victim.

As danger hunts them during one of the busiest time of the year, Joanna
must convince Colin she's a worthy partner. But first, can she convince
herself?

Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?

Alexa: I spent New Year’s in Edinburgh a couple of years ago and I had
so much fun I knew I wanted to write a story set there and during that time. As
for the suspense angle, it just came to me as the characters revealed
themselves to me.

Cate: Very cool. Anything else you’d like to share?

Alexa: I hope you and all your readers have a WONDERFUL holiday and a
happy 2013!

Cate: The same to you! And thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope
you have a jolly holly holiday!

Alexa: Thanks for inviting me to join you!

Cate: On a side note, I'm holding a Holiday BlurbFest at TBR, my reader's blog this weekend. If you have a holiday story, please share your blurb there! Or if you're a reader who loves holiday stories, go check out the blurbs and get ready to add to your TBR list.

Your book sounds great.I don't bake so my best friend before she had kids would take my daughter for the day and they would bake cookies. We do decorate the trees as a family but now that my oldest is a teenager she gets bored very quickly.

JoAnna, thanks! I'm pretty excited about Simple Treasures! That's awesome that your best friend got involved too. My best friends live in other states and I often wish I could spend the holidays with them.